A last sunset for the year

Monday, 2010-01-11

This picture was actually taken on December 11 2009 and will represent the end of the year 2009. The sun sets behind a big factory on the other side of the river Humber. I used a telephoto lens, probably at 250 mm (equivlalent to some 300 mm on a normal 35 mm camera).

Happy New Year!

(Click on the picture for viewing it at full size, 2.4 MB)

To the Black Sea

Sunday, 2010-01-10

The last pictures from the Turkey trip 2009.

From the central Anatolia we continued northwards towards the Black Sea, which is bordered by a high, forested mountain range.

On the coast, straight north of Ankara lies Asmara, a small charming town.

After Asmara we travelled back home.

(Click on the pictures for viewing them at full size, 2-5 MB)

Cappadocia

Western Anatolia

Saturday, 2009-10-24

Western Anatolia north of Kayseri is an open, widestretched landscape up to the mountains ranging along the Black Sea and that was the next destination on our trip in June. I love this sort of landscape with its depth and distances and with marvellous range of colours.
The roads are fast to drive and are of good quality. It is easy to stop for a pause and a photo as the roads are largely empty, at least the ones we drove.

At Boyazkale, the ancient Hittite capital we landed in a Kurd carpet shop. The central, double carpet in the picture I finally bought after some long discussions of price.

I will return to the Boyazkale site later but now only a picture of a flower from the site

(Click on the pictures for viewing at full size, 3-5 MB)

Cappadocia

Saturday, 2009-08-22

Cappadocia, centrally in western Anatolia, is famous for its weird mountain formations. In the area there were three volcanoes which were active some two to ten million years ago and which spewed out thick layers of ashes and volcanic materials which then over million of years formed a soft rock layer (tufa) of 100-150 m depth. In some areas this was covered by harder volcanic material in a thin layer. When that top cover cracked, water and weather could erode the underlying soft rock and deep canyons were created, as well as pyramids of rock (often with a little cap of hard material on top of them) and other endlessly varied rock formations - often in beautiful pastel colours.

The area has a fertile soil even if it is dry. It has been populated since prehistoric times. Neolithic remains of human sites and graves have been found as well as as many sites from the protohittite to the Hittite period (3000 - 700 BC). The area was under Persian control 585 - 332 BC, then it was an independent kingdom during the period of Alexander 17 AD, after which it fell under Roman control until 395 AD. During that time Christians began to lead a monastic life there with monasteries and churches carved out of the tufa. The Roman empire fell apart and the East Rome with its centre in Constaninopel (Istanbul) developed gradually from 397 AD onwards its own variety of Christianity, the orthodox church.

People used the possibility to build dwellings in the rock and constructed veritable "termite nests" of human dwellings, as the picture of "Üchisar castle" below shows. The rooms are often situated above each other and are then connected with narrow "chimneys" where there are footsteps on opposites walls allowing people to climb up and down. Whole underground towns have been built in some places with ventilation shafts and other clever means to make a life down there possible. Nowadays it is no longer allowed to live in the caves and normal houses have been erecteed instead.

The Byzantine church developed a rich liturgy and created specific art forms centered on wall paintings and icons. Some very old and beautiful examples of Byzantine art can be found in Göreme. Perhaps the most beautiful rock church there, and certainly the biggest, is the Tokali church, which actually has four sections: the old church with one nave, the new church, the church under the old church and a chapel on the north side of the new church. Below is a picture from north vault in the new church with scenes from Jesus' life.

(Click on the pictures for viewing at full size, 3-7 MB)

Egidir

Sunday, 2009-08-02

A part of the small town Egidir lies on an island with a small strip of land connecting it with the coast. The island is full of hotels and "pansyons", most of them empty at this time of the year.

In the evening we got a short shower of rain.

(Click on the pictures for viewing at full size, 1,7 MB)

Cafe life

Thursday, 2009-07-30

You see them in the afternoons and the evenings at the cafes talking, smoking and often playing some games. Cards, backgammon are common. Never women, only men.

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The Anatolian inland

Sunday, 2009-07-26

The hay is brought in.

The day begins and ends with the prayers.

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Breakfast at the sea

Saturday, 2009-07-25

There are some things that you long back to more than others: breakfast on the sea shore in the early morning with coffee and an omelette, yoghurt, bread, cheese, olives, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and honey. Heavenly!

(Click on the pictures for viewing at full size, 2 MB)

Bosphoros

Wednesday, 2009-07-22

The water and the sea breeze is ever present in Istanbul. Even when it is hot it is not unbearably stuffy. We are having a cool drink at the Topkapi cafeteria, enjoying the view.

The bazaars are large, colourful and endlessly interesting.

A cool beer before dinner.

The day is finished with a tea close to our hotel.

(Click on the pictures for viewing at full size, 2-5 MB)

Istanbul - the Arasta Çarsisi bazaar street early in the day

Tuesday, 2009-07-21

My son and I spent two weeks travelling in western Turkey last June. It was a great journey and we were met with very great hospitality and friendliness.

Jointly we took a great number of pictures (some 1400 actually) and I intend to upload a selection of them up on my photo album (http://picasaweb.google.com/olle.edqvist). As this involves both a selection and some basic editing it will take some time. I also will show some of the pictures I like best on this blog. It will rarely be the touristic sights - for them you will have to check the photo album - but pictures that speak to me particularly.

Designed caps and hats can be got in all shapes and colours.

(Click on the pictures for viewing at full size, 3-5 MB)

The national day in Vallentuna

Friday, 2009-06-06

The Swedish national day celebrations in Vallentuna was a fairly subdued event, but the local defence forces did their best to help up the spirit by serving pea soup ("ärtsoppa") - a very traditional Swedish soup. Vallentuna, where I live when in Sweden, is a "kommun" (roughly town or local district) north of Stockholm at commuting distance.

The square was next to empty.

The women to the left was better adapted to the weather than the one to the right.

It was also the day before the European Parliament elections.
(Click on the pictures for full size, 3-4 MB)

Scotland in spring

Friday, 2009-05-17

I and my wife spent a week's holiday in northeastern Scotland. It is hard to
select the pictures to show - there are so many beautiful ones to choose
between. The landscape, gardens with rhododendrons, castles and much else. And a
peacock. So I have put in small pictures this time but if you click on them they
will be shown in full size (about 2-5 MB).

Olle Edqvist

This is my latest picture blog (No. 5) with pictures and comments from May
2009; the earlier one had become a bit too big and slow to download. The purpose
is to share some of my pictures and discuss things I consider interesting.

You find links to earlier blogs below.

This blog does not have the possibility to add comments which you can put in
yourself, but please write to me instead. My email is olle.edqvist(at)gmail.com.
I will then post your letter as a comment (of course only if it is intended to be
a comment and it is referring to a particular post). I have got very few comments
in the past (but I hope for more this year!) so perhaps this is something you can
live with.

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